One Shot
by sonicstardust
Summary: Who would guess that one bullet could do so much? An unexpected injury and some desperate circumstances bring Tony and Ziva closer, with the help of a precocious nine year old. AUish. Now complete! Check out the sequel: Knocked Out
1. Dammit

_Okay, first chapter, very short, I know. But I didn't have a better breaking point than this. I have a lot written down that I need to type up, so if I don't get a whole bunch of chapters up right away don't be mad at me, okay? I type slow..._

_I own nothing._

---

_BLAM_, _BLAM._

Special Agent DiNozzo ducked behind the SUV, squinting to see from where the shooter was firing. "Where is that bastard?" he whispered anxiously, his eyes scanning the surrounding buildings.

Officer Ziva David nudged him with her elbow. "Brown brick building," she hissed, "top floor, third window from the left."

Tony sat down and made sure he still had enough ammo in his weapon. "How d'you know?" he asked.

"Because," Ziva replied through gritted teeth, "he has good aim." she removed her hand from her side, where Tony could now see a great deal of blood soaking through her jacket.

Tony glanced at the wound, wide-eyed, then looked around nervously. "Dammit! Why didn't you say anything, Ziva?"

She grimaced. "Would it really have done any good, DiNozzo? Besides–"

Another bullet buried itself into the back tire of the vehicle, and they moved around the other side of the car, and farther out of the shooter's range.

"As long as I keep pressure on the wound, I'll be fine." she continued.

Tony raised an eyebrow. "It's pretty bad isn't it?"

Ziva narrowed her eyes at him. "Tony, do you recall any instance when getting shot _isn't_ bad?"

"Actually–"

"Shut up and figure something out!"

Tony nodded, "Okay..." he surveyed their surroundings. "I think I have a clear shot if I can crawl up near the front of the car without being spotted."

She nodded. "So do it!"

"Right."

Ziva rolled her eyes. "Do it, I've got your back." she held her gun at the ready.

Tony paused in thought, then nodded. "Okay." he scrambled forward.

_BLAM._ Another shot sounded, closer than the others had been.

DiNozzo waited a moment, then peered through the SUV window; the original shooter had fallen.

"Ziva! DiNozzo!" called a man's voice. "Get your asses out here!"

Tony jumped to his feet. "Hey boss."

Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs holstered his weapon and raised an eyebrow at the younger agent. "What the hell happened," he asked, "that you _two _couldn't take down _one _sniper?"

Tony opened his mouth to speak, but Gibbs's question was answered as Ziva stumbled around the side of the vehicle.

She grimaced, "Sorry Gibbs," she said shakily, and collapsed.

Tony and Gibbs caught her in mid-air.

"Whoa there." muttered Tony as Gibbs took her full weight.

Gibbs looked at his blood-soaked hand and shook his head. "Dammit, DiNozzo! Call the goddamn ambulance!"

---


	2. Stabilized Situation

_Author's Note: Okay, really short chapter this time, but again, the cut off point matters. Thanks to all the anxious readers!_

**_Stabilized Situation_**

Tony dropped the magazine back onto the small wooden table, jiggling his foot impatiently. He'd never been especially fond of waiting, and hospitals possibly made it worse, with all the receptionists, and specialists, and second opinions.

"Agent DiNozzo?"

He looked up; a tall man in his early forties, with black hair that was speckled with gray, stood there with looking–

Well, Tony didn't know exactly what the man's expression meant, so he chalked it up to bedside manner and replied, "Yeah, that's me," getting to his feet.

The man smiled and held out a hand. "I'm Dr. Chase. I was sent to inform you on Officer David's current condition."

Anthony nodded grimly shaking the older man's hand. "How's she doin' doc?"

Dr. Chase motioned for Tony to walk with him down the small stretch of hallway outside the waiting room. "She's stable, won't be conscious for another few hours, and then we can't let her go until we're sure nothing else is the matter with her,"

Tony chuckled, feeling relieved. "She won't be too happy about that."

The doctor nodded, smiling, and reached into his pocket. "That reminds me," he brought out a folded sheet of paper, "Officer David had one of the nurses write something down for you before they went into surgery." He handed DiNozzo the note.

Tony slid the note into his pocket. "Thanks doc, I appreciate it. I've got a few calls to make now."

Dr. Chase nodded. "No problem. Hope the rest of your day is less eventful, eh?" the older man grinned and left Tony to his calls.

DiNozzo reached for his cell, but as usual, his curiosity got the better of his as his fingers brushed the note. He pulled it out and unfolded it.

_Tony-_

_Kazia, 3:00pm._

_-Ziva_

He read it over again and as short and to the point as it seemed, it was making no sense. _You must have been in some kinda pain-killer induced dream when you dictated this, girl_. Tony frowned, folded the note back up and called Gibbs.

---


	3. Suprise, Suprise

_Author's Note: Okay, so here's the BIG SURPRISE. If it's not a huge shocker, I'm sorry, and if you just don't like it, I'm sorry, but it was an idea I had that wouldn't go away, so I'm going to try and make it work._

**Surprise, Surprise**

Tony crumpled up the wrapper from his sandwich and tossed it into the trash can, with a look of triumph as he made a perfect basket.

"So?" asked Gibbs, tossing the note onto Tony's desk after reading it over.

DiNozzo raised an eyebrow. "So...what do you say? I thought you'd know what it meant."

Gibbs gave him his best _stare_. "I say 'get your ass moving, it's 2:45'."

Tony frowned, "What–? Hey–"

Timothy McGee was already typing away furiously on his computer. He sat back and read, "Kazia Simone David, born April 17, 1997, in Israel...and the girl's father is...not mentioned in the file–I'm guessing he didn't stick around or something. She goes to Hartford Elementary School; only a few miles away from here."

DiNozzo's eyebrows were raised to their highest limits as he listened to Tim read. "Soooo," he said after a long silence, "Ziva's a mom?"

Gibbs chuckled, "Good DiNozzo, you finally got it. Now get moving." he said over his shoulder as he left the bullpen.

---

_Geez, that's a lot of kids, _McGee grumbled to himself, squinting through the tinted windows as he sat in the passenger seat. He glanced at the reference photo he'd printed once again. "I don't see her Tony; maybe she decided to take the school bus home–"

"She didn't."

"What? How do you–?"

Tony motioned to their left, "On the bench, by the big tree."

There was definitely no mistaking, Tony decided as they got out of the car, the girl was a miniature version of her mother. Except, Tony realized as they got closer, except for her eyes, which were a serious blue-green. Other than that, she was almost perfectly alike, from her long dark curls, to the quizzical brow she raised upon seeing the two men approaching.

"Kazia David?" asked DiNozzo, flashing his badge. "Hi, I'm Special Agent Tony DiNozzo."

"And I'm Special Agent McGee."

"We work at NCIS, with your mom?"

The little girl looked them over skeptically. "Let me see your badge again, Agent DiNozzo." she said, as if she didn't quite trust them.

Tony turned to McGee and gave him a questioning look.

McGee shrugged, and Tony pulled out his badge once more.

Without a word, she took it from his hand and examined it closely, before finally saying, "Alright, I believe you Agent DiNozzo."

Tony glanced again at McGee who took the hint. "Uh, Kazia, listen honey, your mom's been injured–don't worry she's gonna be alright, but for now you need to come with us, okay?"

Kazia immediately grabbed her black backpack and jumped to her feet. "Let me see her. I need to talk to her. Is it bad? It's bad, isn't it?"

"I'm sorry," Tony said, putting a hand on her back and guiding her toward the car, "right now the doctors want her to rest."

She pushed his hand aside and turned to him. "I understand, but if you find out anything new, you let me know immediately, Agent DiNozzo."

Tony rolled his eyes, but couldn't help a smile. "Okay Kazia, you'll be the first to know if there's any news from the hospital."

"Good, now let's go?" she said with a curt nod, climbing into the back of the SUV.

_Wow._ Tony thought with a wry grin, and started the car.

---

_**A HUGE Thank You to all my wonderful reviewers!**_


	4. Staying Put

_Author's Note: Thanks to all readers for being so patient! I'm sorry I'm not quick at updating most of the time, but I'm really trying to work hard on this, which is tougher now that school has started. Here is another short chapter, enjoy! (And YAY, there's a little character variety here!)_

---

**Staying Put**

Kazia looked around the spacious office, noting details and faces. She was good at remembering faces.

Agent DiNozzo put a hand on her shoulder. "Kazia, listen, I want you to stay here. I have to go and talk to someone." he told the girl, showing her to his desk chair.

She crossed her arms and plopped down in the seat. "Do you have any computer games?" she asked, spying his computer.

Tony shook his head. "Nah, only work stuff. Just stay right here and I'll be back in a few minutes. Okay?"

"Yeah, sure, Agent DiNozzo."

He winked at her, "Tony." he told the girl, then jogged up the stairs.

Kazia sighed loudly and slumped in the chair. She began to spin–until she got so dizzy that it ceased to amused her. She got up and staggered over to the empty desk across from DiNozzo's. Kazia sat down behind the desk, picked up a pen and began to doodle on some notepaper that was left out. She was so intent that she didn't hear Agent McGee come up behind her.

"That's very good," he commented, watching her draw. "It's Tony right?"

The girl jumped. "Yes. Thanks." she said breathlessly, setting down her pen and picture, which was clearly Agent DiNozzo.

McGee glanced around. "Weren't you hanging out with Tony?"

Kazia shook her head. "He had to go do something."

"Ah," McGee nodded, "well I was just about to go down to the lab and check to see if some tests are finished running. You wanna come with me? Could be fun."

She thought it over, rolling the pen back and forth on the desk. "Okay." she consented, hopping to her feet, and following McGee into the hall.

"So," asked Kazia in a conversational tone as they entered the elevator, "is my mom your girlfriend?"

He chuckled, shaking his head. "No, we're just friends, Kazia."

"Oh," she nodded understandingly. "Well, she should get a boyfriend," she mused, "all she ever does is work."

They were silent for the rest of the elevator ride, but as the elevator doors opened, a young woman with black pigtails in her hair jumped into the elevator and grabbed McGee.

"You're never gonna–! Whoa..." Abby Sciuto, NCIS's forensic scientist gaped at the little girl standing next to Tim. "No way..." she breathed.

Kazia looked Abby up and down skeptically, noting her very gothic wardrobe. "Agent McGee, is _this _your girlfriend?"

---

Tony rolled his shoulders and sat back in his chair, watching the goings-on in MTAC.

"So?" asked Gibbs, taking a sip of his coffee.

"So?" Tony asked, glancing at the older agent. "'So', I don't really know what to do, Boss. I mean, the kid can't go see her mom yet, and she obviously isn't gonna want to hang out here all day. As far as we know, there are no emergency contacts, or relatives, listed in her file, unless you count good ole Uncle Ari–who, I'm guessing, isn't really up to baby-sitting right now on account that Mommy Dearest did him in!" he whispered furiously.

Gibbs looked completely unphased. "You through, DiNozzo?"

"Yes, Boss."

He got to his feet with a nod, coffee in hand. "Good, cause Ziva gave me Kazia's emergency contact."

"Wait–what? When?"

"Doesn't matter." Gibbs replied.

"Well," Tony sighed, "you wanna give me the address and I'll take her over there?"

Gibbs raised an eyebrow. "Well, no, DiNozzo, not unless you plan on taking off work and going home early."

Tony's eyes widened. "I hope you don't mean what I think you do, Boss."

"How the hell should I know what you think I mean?" Gibbs said with a shrug, and left Tony to his thoughts.

---


	5. That Was Creepy

_Author's Note: Thanks again to reviewers! You don't even know how much feedback means to me! Anyways, here's another short bit–consisting of only one scene, but that's because I caught up with what I have written down in my notebook! Soo if you have any brilliant ideas, please share them so I can have a bit more of an idea of what I want for the next scene!_

_---_

**That Was Creepy**

"McGee, I'm serious! Don't leave the kid with me! I'm no good with kids!" Abby hissed at him, glancing to the side at Kazia.

She sat quietly at the computer desk, reading a book.

McGee looked confused. "C'mon, it'll be fine! And what do you mean?" he whispered back. "When that kid, Zach Tanner, was here you and Ducky had a great time hanging out with him."

Abby crossed her arms. "Yeah Tim, but Zach is a little _boy_."

"And...?"

"You show a little boy a few magic tricks, let him play with a stuffed hippo that farts, and he's happy. Little girls are hard to entertain!" she lowered her voice again, "and somewhat creepy."

Tim chuckled. "No offence Abbs, but since when have you had a problem with 'creepy'?"

"Timmy," Abby sighed, "have you ever seen 'The Exorcist'?"

He shook his head.

"_That_ little girl was _creepy_."

"Linda Blair," Tony supplied as he stepped into the lab, "I had nightmares about her for weeks after I saw that one. I was twelve; scared the hell outta me."

Abby raised her eyebrows. "Watch your mouth, sir, we are in the presence of innocent ears!" she motioned with her head in Kazia's direction.

The girl snorted, then clapped a hand over her mouth. "Sorry." she muttered, still grinning.

Abby gave McGee a 'that was creepy' look, and went back to the swabs she was testing.

Tony crossed to the desk where Kazia was reading. "Kazia, I thought I told you to stay at my desk." he sighed.

She looked up from her book. "Did you? Hmm." Kazia looked thoughtful. "Well Agent DiNozzo, I'm not a dog; you can't just leash me up and expect me to be there when you get back." she said, seeming quite unconcerned.

Tony opened his mouth to reply, but spotted a giant red soft drink sitting on the desk. He turned to McGee and Abby. "You're letting a nine-year-old drink 'Caff-Pow'?" he asked in an exasperated tone.

Abby grinned. "No, that one's mine."

Tony looked relieved.

"She finished hers already; it's in the trash."

He gave a pained-looking smile. "Great. Super caffeinated Mini-Ziva."

"Well," Tim reasoned, checking his watch, "it's not like you'll need to deal with her for that much longer; the day's almost over."

"Yeah, that's true, Tony." Abby agreed.

Tony shook his head, watching Kazia as she stole a sip of Abby's drink. "You have _no_ idea, Abbs. _No _idea."

---


	6. Downtime & White Roses

_Author's Note: FINALLY! A new chapter! I know you all probably want to kill me cause I'm so slow, but now that the school year has started up again it's harder to keep my stories going. My apologies. Many thanks to those who have given me great story suggestions!_

**Downtime & White Roses**

Waiting for Tony to come back from an errand in the squad room, Kazia folded her hands on his desk and rested her chin on top of them, squinting over at Gibbs.

He was working at his own desk, not paying her much attention, but still, somehow, he was fascinating to watch.

"You're the boss, aren't you?" she piped up after a moment.

Gibbs turned and gazed at her. "Yep," he said with a smile. "How could you tell?"

The girl sat back in her chair. "Because Agent DiNozzo called you 'boss'." she replied, grinning.

"Aha," chuckled Gibbs, leaning back from his work, "I guess that could give ya a hint."

"Hey, Kazia," Tony called, as he got off the elevator, "I want your opinion on something."

She hopped up from her seat and peered at one of the bags under his arm. "What is it?" she asked eagerly.

"Well," Tony sunk into the chair behind his desk, and paused in a moment out of faint surprise as Kazia seated herself on his lap.

Gibbs grinned, watching them, shook his head, and got up to go and get a report from Abby.

"Well, I bought Chinese food for dinner, and I've got a couple 'get well' presents for your mom." Tony continued.

"Let me see," Kazia reached for the bag.

"Well I was hoping you could tell me whether or not she'll like them, so go right ahead." he told her.

The first thing she pulled out was a plush black teddy bear with a studded leather collar. She raised an eyebrow at Tony.

He grinned, "That one's from Abby."

Kazia rooted around in the bag some more, and brought out two more things; A pretty card from Ducky, and a catalog. She placed the card on the desk and began to leaf through the catalog.

"So?" Tony asked after a moment. "Which ones do you think?"

The girl grinned and pointed to a spot the page. "Those."

---

Ziva blinked; her vision was blurred for a moment as the small, white hospital room swam into focus. Her first thoughts were of her daughter. Had Tony received her message? Had he understood? Gibbs–Gibbs would have explained it to him, thank God, she realized with relief.

Something on the bedside table caught her eye; a vase of white roses, a card, a "Get Well Soon" balloon, and a black teddy bear. She smiled, touched that her coworkers had sent those things for her. Who had sent the roses though? Ziva had a guess, but nevertheless, they seemed like something more than a 'get well' present.

The door clicked open, and a short, red-headed nurse entered, giving a bright smile when she saw that Ziva was awake.

"Well, good evening, Officer David, are you feeling up to something to drink?"

Ziva sighed, "Some water would be great, thank you."

The nurse nodded, "Sure thing, I'm Helen, by the way." she said kindly, checking the IV that ran into Ziva's arm. "You know, a couple people stopped in to see you about an hour ago, but you were asleep and they didn't want to disturb you."

"Who?" Ziva inquired. "Was there a girl with them?"

Helen frowned in thought. "Yeah, you know, I think there was. Little girl, about nine. Your daughter?"

"Yes."

"Well, she and your husband said they'd be back tomorrow to see you."

Ziva shook her head. "Agent DiNozzo is not my husband, he's a friend."

"Oh, I'm sorry dear, I just assumed, you know..."

Ziva glanced around the room once more. "Excuse me," she asked up as the nurse opened the door to leave, "is there a phone I could use?"

Helen nodded. "We'll get you one Officer David soon as possible, there just isn't one in here 'cause you'll probably be out of here pretty soon." she replied with a smile, then left.

---


	7. First Name Basis

_A/N: MERRY CHRISTMAS!! Okay, I am really, really sorry for the delay in the story. I had the beginning of this for a while, but I never could turn it into anything. I have more after this that I've written out, so updates should be more often now! YAY!! Thanks for your patience! (I apologize for any mistakes in this story, I don't usually have anyone beta, and I'm not the best typer in the world.)_

* * *

It was a clear evening, with good traffic, Tony was thankful for that, and also thankful for the fact that Kazia David was over her caffeine high and not talking non-stop anymore. 

He glanced in his rear-view mirror, expecting to see a pair of alert green eyes looking back at him. Instead he saw that the little girl was slumped over in the backseat with her head resting on his jacket, sound asleep.

Tony smiled, he'd always liked kids, but never saw himself taking care of one–it was kind of cool, he decided, pulling into parking space in front of his apartment building.

Kazia sat up immediately.

"Have a nice nap?" Tony asked, turning off the car and getting out.

The girl gave him a haughty look. "I wasn't asleep." She hopped out of the car and slung her bag onto her back.

"Heh," Tony chuckled as they strolled up the sidewalk, "Coulda fooled me, Kaz."

As soon as they were inside the apartment, the girl plunked her backpack on the floor, threw her jacket on the couch, and flopped down on top of it.

Tony hung his own coat up, and tugged the girl's from underneath of her with a grunt. "This is what this peg by the door is for." he hung the smaller jacket on top.

Kazia rolled her eyes and sat up, watching him expectantly. "Sooo," she asked, tapping her feet impatiently, "what do you wanna do?"

Tony shrugged. "I dunno. I don't have much that would interest you around here."

There was a bit of an awkward silence, until Kazia piped up, eyeing the large television across the room, "Can I watch TV?"

Checking his watch to make sure it wasn't too late, "Sure," he replied, but as he had a better idea, asked, "you like movies?"

She shrugged, looking a little lost in the unfamiliar apartment. "What do you have?"

Tony walked to a large cabinet on the far wall and opened it. "The question is," he announced with a flourish, "what _don't_ I have?"

The girl hopped up from the couch to investigate. Obviously impressed by the magnitude of his movie library, she ran her finger along the spines of several DVD's. She turned to Tony. "_Dracula_?" she suggested.

Tony raised an eyebrow. "Allowed?" he asked, imitating her tone.

She made a face."Seen it. Three times." she replied, then spying another film, she pulled _Sleepy Hollow_ from the shelf.

"Seen that one?"

She shook her head. "No, never mind, it's rated R."

Tony frowned and read over the many titles. "Well...have you seen...this one?" he proudly slid _Monty Python and the Holy Grail_ from its place and handed it to Kazia.

She turned it over a few times, reading the back and looking at the pictures. "Okay." she finally consented.

He grinned and set up the DVD player. _God it's been forever since someone watched a movie with me–that's sad._

Apparently it had been a while since he'd seen this particular movie, and he'd almost forgotten it wasn't completely appropriate for a nine-year-old kid. As one of the characters in the movie cursed, Tony put his hands over the girl's ears.

Kazia slapped at him, annoyed. "Agent DiNozzo, please, just let me watch the movie." she sighed.

Tony put up his hands. "Okay, but if you slip up and repeat _anything_ you just heard, you weren't with me when you heard it, got it?"

"Got it."

When the movie had ended, Kazia could barely keep her eyes open.

"Bedtime." Tony told her pointedly.

She yawned and made a face, unable to argue the fact that she was tired.

Tony got an extra pillow and blanket out of the closet and put them on the couch for her, wondering if Ziva was awake by now–but of course she was. She was probably already asking when she could go home, he thought with a smile. Miss David never could do as she was told.

As if she had known what Tony was thinking about, Kazia came out of the bathroom in her pajamas and sunk down on the couch, looking dejected. "When do you think Ziva will be out of the hospital?" she asked, pulling her knees up to her chin.

Tony was taken aback a little at the seemingly cold term of calling her mother by her first name, but he answered. "She'll be back in a few weeks. Depends on what the doctors tell us tomorrow." He watched her nod, pull the covers up and settle in before he finally voiced his question. "Why don't you call Ziva 'Mom', or 'Mommy', or..."Mummy"? Or I dunno, something."

Kazia gave a half-smile. "I asked her once when I was little, why the other kids in my school call their parents stuff like 'Mommy' and 'Daddy'. She said she didn't know why she never told me to call her anything other than her name. She said she just felt being on a 'first name basis' with me, but I think it must have scared her." the girl said wisely.

"'Scared her'?"

"You know, being a mom? When I came around, I think she didn't want to feel like she wasn't a tough Mossad officer anymore." she observed.

Tony chuckled. "Well, if that ever comes up again, tell her that she probably has to be made of tougher stuff to be a parent than a Mossad officer."

Kazia stuck her tongue out and laughed. "I was easy on you today DiNozzo."


	8. Bon Appetit!

_A/N: I apologize for not updating in so long, once again. I was suffering from writer's block, even though I have the ending of this story planned out, I don't have a lot of stuff to go in between. This is a kind of short chapter, but I need filler chapters (which also serve for a little character development) until we get to the big finale ;)_

_Love you guys!!_

_-Kait_

_---_

"I am fine! I let you stitch me up, I've taken your pills, I've rested! Now I just want to go home!" Ziva fumed. These doctors and nurses were making her mad. She had dealt with injuries before, and she wasn't one to sit on her ass and wait until she felt better to do her job. She knew Gibbs wouldn't let her out in the field for a while, but she at least wanted to be around to help as much as she could.

"I'm sorry Miss David," said Doctor Chase, looking concerned, and trying to calm her. "Your injury _did _cause minimal muscle and tissue damage–which you're very lucky for–but you'll still need to stick around here for at least another couple days, and for us to make sure everything is in order."

"Trust me, if I were you, I wouldn't try to keep me here against my will." Ziva warned him, trying to make this statement convincing even as she winced from the sharp pain in her side as she took a deep breath.

Dr. Chase shook his head with a wry smile as the two nurses with him gave each other questioning looks. "We can't keep you here against your will, but for your own safety we would prefer for you just bear with us until we're sure–"

"Look. I'll stay here for a few days. Does that make you happy?"

The pleasant doctor chuckled. "That makes me very happy Ziva. I think I'll go turn a few cartwheels out in the hall."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm glad I inspire such joy in you Dr. Chase." she told him dryly.

He patted her shoulder. "Just don't try to pull off any half-assed escape plans and you'll be just fine."

"Well it'll be a little less half-assed now that the brawn and the brains of the escape mission are here." Tony announced with a wink as he and Kazia entered the room.

"Ziva!" the little girl squealed, running to her mother, but hesitating before she got to her.

Ziva held out her arms with an exasperated look. "For god's sake, I'm not on the brink of death or something, now will everyone _please_ stop treating me like I am?"

Kazia grinned sheepishly and embraced her mother–though maybe a bit more gingerly than usual.

Tony chuckled, grinning at her. "I'd have thought you'd have busted out of here already Ziva. I mean, really, do these doctors really stand any chance against you?"

Ziva rolled her eyes. "They took my knife away."

"All of them?" Kazia interjected.

"Yes." Ziva told her.

"Well that sucks."

Dr. Chase smiled at the three of them. "Well, I'll leave you to it then." he said kindly as he strode out. "Don't hesitate to give me a call if you need anything."

When he had gone, Tony gave Kazia a mischievous grin, setting the boxes under his arm on the bedside table. "Quick!" he said in a stage-whisper, "You commandeer a wheelchair for Ziva, and I'll pull the getaway vehicle around to the front door!"

The girl giggled, swinging her feet as she sat on the edge of the hospital bed. "Gotcha." she told him, playing along. "I've already slipped some sleeping pills into the security guards' water cooler, so they won't be giving us any trouble."

Ziva laughed, giving Kazia's shoulder a playful shove.

Tony sank into the plastic chair beside the bed. "We brought lunch." he told her, removing one of the Styrofoam containers from the table with a flourish.

Ziva took it with a hesitant look. "Not some greasy carry-out, I hope." she rattled the box slightly from side-to-side.

"Pshh," Tony said derisively, "puh-lease, Ziva! This is 'un pranzo originale degli spaghetti di DiNozzo'!" he opened the box and dramatically presented her with a plastic fork.

"I helped," Kazia reminded him, "but I don't speak that much Italian."

"Thank you both." Ziva told them earnestly. "I don't think I could survive on hospital food for another day."

Kazia grinned, digging into her own spaghetti, and bidding them, "Bon appetit!"

_---_

_Tell me what you guys think!! xoxox -Kait_


	9. Covert Confessions

_A/N: Okay, this is a longer chapter than the last, with an abundance of back-story. Please tell me if it makes enough sense to you when you read it, cause I'm no good at spotting inconsistencies, and I don't usually have anyone Beta-Read my stories. Hugs to my reviewers!!_

_-Kait_

---

The wait seemed endless to both Tony and Kazia, but finally it was time for Ziva to come home. The doctors had thought it best for her to stay with someone, just to keep an eye on her until she was fully recovered.

Gibbs, being Gibbs, and therefore an unquestionable authority, had told Ziva that she should stay with Tony–after all, Kazia already had settled herself in, and there was no sense in taking the risk by going home, that something might go wrong and no one would be around.

"Even if DiNozzo is a moron sometimes, he's not stupid." had been his reasoning.

Ziva had argued a bit, insisting that she could look after herself, but she finally gave in. Kazia really liked Tony after all. She couldn't think of a reason _not_ to stay, anyway.

The drive back from the hospital was relatively quiet–except for Kazia voicing questions about various things every now and then.

Ziva seemed to be feeling pretty well–or at least she didn't let on otherwise, Tony thought, as she insisted she could get out of the car on her own.

Kazia eagerly bounced about the apartment, hovering around Ziva and making sure she was alright at every moment. Finally Tony convinced her to settle down and watch a movie in the living room, while he put on a pot of tea.

"So," Tony said slowly, setting a mug on his small kitchen table in front of Ziva. He hadn't said much today; he'd spent most of his time silently contemplating her, wondering how awkward it would be for him to start a conversation on the subject of Kazia's father.

Ziva gave a quiet, "Thanks." and played with her tea-bag absentmindedly. "So?" she asked after a moment of him quietly watching her. "I suppose you have questions."

_Mind reading. Yet another skill taught at Mossad._ He thought wryly.

"That, or–you already know the whole story. Gibbs probably filled you in when he told you when you found out you had to look after Kazia?" she muttered; it wasn't so much a question as an accepted, dull sounding statement.

"Actually, no." Tony replied slowly. "Gibbs didn't tell me anything."

She looked surprised, but nodded. "Better that way."

He frowned. "How so? It's not like I wouldn't _like_ to know."

Ziva raised an eyebrow and pretended she wasn't clear on what he meant. "Know what?"

Tony looked at her, giving a confused half-smile. "But you just–? Never mind, forget it." he resolved. He didn't want to argue, but as curious as he was, he knew he could never force answers from Ziva if she wasn't willing to give them.

They were silent.

"It was a covert operation." Ziva sighed finally, seeming loathe to tell the story, but knowing that she needed to give him his answers.

Tony sat up straighter, listening intently.

"I was young, but, apparently I fit the profile Mossad needed for this particular mission. My father didn't have any objection if it would get the information that we needed. I did what they wanted. I seduced the target, Demetri Barron, half French, half Israeli, mostly a surprisingly charming son-of-a-bitch. I led him to believe that I loved him, that we _needed _each other, convinced him that he could tell me _anything_."

Tony nodded. "That's when you–"

Ziva shook her head. "The pregnancy was...unplanned, but he was...thrilled."

"You weren't."

Ziva silenced him with a sharp look. "My father ordered me to end the mission and give them what I knew already. Slip away and leave him to wonder.

"I had enough intel from Barron, and communications he'd made, that Mossad could use it in order to bust a terrorist cell, possibly preventing what could have been a devastating attack. I got out as fast as I could. Unfortunately we didn't have enough on Barron_ personally _to detain him, though several of his accomplices were charged for their crimes, and eventually executed."

"Guessing he wasn't too 'thrilled' with you about that." Tony chuckled wryly.

"Not at all. I was ordered to stay in a safe-house until Kazia's birth, and several weeks later, I was informed that he was another operative working on the case–though he'd eventually turned on his agency." Ziva took a tired breath. "Despite what _he _knew, and all he had lead _me _to believe, we had originally been on the _same_ mission to apprehend the _same _terrorists. But to him,_ I_ was the enemy target, and to me, he was the same.

"Then we heard...of his death." her gaze was clouded now, conflicted. "Now that he was no longer a threat, it seemed ironic." she tried to think of a way to phrase what she was about to say, then rushed on. "He'd taken part in a suicide bombing. It had been part of his cover– though he hadn't imagined it could go that far–the leader of the cell detonated all of the bombs with a remote, so that cowards wouldn't be able to get cold toes and desert." She sniffed, though she had resolved long ago that tears were useless.

"Cold feet." Tony corrected softly, not sure if he should comfort her or not. He hesitantly reached across the table and took her hand softly.

She had been younger then, not as experienced as she should have been. The whole thing had gotten to her, and on some level she had formed an attachment to Demetri, and he'd been torn away, like so many others in her life. She sniffed again, blinking back the tears that she'd sworn she wouldn't shed for Demetri.

He was silent for a moment, but squeezed her hand reassuringly. "I'm sorry, Ziva. I wouldn't have asked you if I'd knew this would make things harder on you."

She squeezed his hand in return, forcing a weak smile. "I never had anything against Kazia, for the events proceeding her birth, or for her father's faults. I want you to know that. I just wasn't ready to give up my life when she came along. I understand now that she's more important than my work--though I'm not going anywhere."

"You didn't _have_ to explain everything. I accepted that you didn't want to." he told her.

"No. I did have to. I should have trusted you to know before this happened. I trusted you enough to take care of her."

Tony fixed her with an intent stare. "Why?"

She pulled her hand from his slowly, and watched him for a moment. "I don't know." she got up and put her tea mug into the kitchen sink. "I need a shower." she resolved, and turned to leave the room.

Feeling he needed to lighten the mood, Tony called after her, "Want me to come with you and make sure you don't pass out or something?"

She made a face from the doorway, then smiled, she had almost thought he was being serious at first. "I'll be okay, thanks."

---


	10. Silent Agreement

_A/N: Finally I've put enough of the little scenes I've had written for forever into a chapter, aren't you proud of me? ...Okay, I can tell you're all going, "Well after all that waiting, this better be good, woman!" I understand, I was telling myself the same thing as I read over it ;)_

_Haha, anyways, here it is, and I hope you like it! I have another chapter almost done as I'm posting this one!_

_With love, from Ponytails._

---

Ziva blinked her heavy eyelids, struggling to keep her attention fixed on the television screen, which was filled with a flurry of men in rugged medieval attire. She raised an eyebrow, glancing at Tony, who was seated next to her on his couch, and still seemed rather intent on the film.

"Is it almost over?" she yawned, rolling her stiff neck.

Tony took his eyes off the TV and watched as her eyelids began droop once again, and as she forced herself to stay awake.

"_You _were the one who claimed you weren't tired yet." he commented in an 'I told you so' tone.

She rolled her eyes and fixed him with an irritated stare. "Well I lied." she gave the screen another glance, raising a quizzical brow. "What exactly _is_ this movie about?"

Tony chuckled and shook his head. "I think you'd actually like it if you weren't so doped up on painkillers, Zee-vah."

"I am not 'doped up'! I have all my wits–"

"_Shh_.".

"Don't shush me DiNozzo–"

He put a finger to her lips, "You know you look really cute in sweats, right?" he whispered teasingly, their faces inches apart, then took his finger it away.

Ziva watched his hazel eyes questioningly, then leaned in on a whim, and kissed him.

Though he was surprised at first, his hand found its way up into her long dark curls, caressing the back of her neck, not wanting to let go.

As they broke apart, Tony said breathlessly, his forehead resting on hers, "I'm shushing you so you don't wake up _your_ kid, who happens to be sound asleep on _my_ living room floor with _my_ throw pillow." he grinned, motioning with his chin to where Kazia was curled up contentedly at their feet, her long hair falling over the pillow.

_Oh shit. What just happened? Why the hell did I–? _"Sorry. I guess I am doped up." Ziva said quickly. Still needing a little clarity she sighed, and after a brief silence asked, "What just happened?"

Tony scooted closer and put an arm around her gingerly, avoiding her wounded side. "Uhh, forget it. You've had a tough couple weeks."

Ziva shook her head, but relaxed slightly, letting his warm embrace encircle her. _I don't want to just 'forget it', Tony_. _I think I'm in love with you,_ she wanted to blurt out._ Just say _something

"Hmm..." Tony pondered, his eyes following the movie credits as the scrolled past. "You know what?"

She held her breath for a moment, then gave a quiet, "Hmm?"

"I am gonna be _dead_ tired at work tomorrow. Movie was _not_ such a great idea."

"Oh." Ziva nodded. They just had silently and mutually agreed to pretend nothing had happened. They had almost just broken Gibbs's rule 12: Never get involved with a co-worker. But they were already involved, whether they were ready to admit it or not, and their silent agreement couldn't last forever.

"I'm gonna sleep out here. You and Kaz take the bed." Tony gave a wide yawn.

Too tired to argue that she was fine on the couch, Ziva agreed.

Tony got up, careful not to bump into Ziva's left side, and picked Kazia up off the floor with a grunt that sounded vaguely like "_Heavy_."

Ziva grinned, heaving herself to her feet with a slight grimace, and followed Tony to the bedroom, where he gently tucked Kazia into the bed.

He straightened up and yawned again. "'Night Ziva." he muttered, scooting past where she stood in the doorway.

Her smile faded a little after he brushed past. "Good night, Tony."

---

Ten minutes later, Tony lay on the couch in the quiet, semi-dark living room. He was tired, but unable to sleep.

Ziva had kissed _him_, he thought, grinning like a cocky teenager, and he had kissed her back. But what had happened after? Were they really just going to let it drop like that? They had kissed one time before this, but that had been different, that had been to maintain their cover as married assassins. This time, he decided, this time had felt different.

Tony supposed he'd always thought Ziva a little out of his reach; true there was a definite attraction, but she'd always seemed to be close, yet so unattainable...somehow. Like having a crush on your best friend– your _wow_-amazingly-hot best friend who could probably kick your ass if you tried anything with her...

Wait– were they best friends? That revelation instantly threw his mind into a new spiral of questions.

A best friend was someone you were with constantly– Tony began checking off from a list in his mind. A best friend was someone you always told the truth– even when it stung a little– _Check_. Someone you told your problems to, trusting that they wouldn't judge you– _Possibly,_ _another check_? But yes, that was a check. That last part they'd just covered today, and everything else seemed to fall into place.

There was a thump from the hallway. "_Shit._"

Tony sprang up. "Ziva, you okay?" he asked anxiously.

She sighed. "Yes, I stubbed my toe."

"Oh." he yawned.

Ziva came and silently sat down next to him on the couch. "I was so tired, but now..." she said apologetically. "I mean, I didn't mean to wake you, I was just going to..." she trailed off again.

"Mmm," Tony said understandingly, saving her from having to make another excuse.

Ziva hesitated, but then slowly suggested, "Maybe if...if we just sit here a while, you know, until we fall asleep?" she bit her lip, watching him.

Feeling that this was some sort of confirmation, Tony smiled. "Yeah. That could work."

---

_Okay, now tell me what ya think...Huggles -Ponytails_


	11. Manic Monday

_A/N: Whoo! There's a secret little plot point in this chapter! Along with a twist..._

_Love from Ponytails!!_

---

Tony awoke and rolled his neck stiffly, but he didn't mind that he'd fallen asleep slouched on the couch, with Ziva curled up next to him. She looked so peaceful, snuggled under his arm, her expression more untroubled than he'd seen her in a long time, he thought with a quiet smile. If she was to awake now she would probably make some comment about being too close to his armpit, or about needing deodorant, but for this moment, he closed his eyes again, and was content to just sit there and doze.

A small finger suddenly poked at the back of his head. "You awake?"

Tony turned his head slightly, startled. "Maybe." he grunted.

"Well judging by the time, asleep and late, or awake and _barely _on time for work are the options...I wonder which is the better choice?" Kazia pondered aloud, still prodding Tony's head.

"Fine." he sighed, opening his eyes and trying to rise from the couch without disturbing Ziva.

She gave a small moan, then settled in with the pillow he put under her head.

"Let her sleep in." Tony advised Kazia. "It's just you and me who have obligations today."

* * *

"What the hell am I supposed to use for my school project?" Kazia whined, as Tony tossed a granola bar at her, and she dropped it into her backpack. "We watched movies all weekend!"

Tony groaned. "You had homework to do? Great, Ziva's gonna kill me! And watch the language there short-stuff." he added, handing her a can of soda. "What's the project? Maybe we can come up with a quick solution."

The girl rolled her eyes. "I'm supposed to bring in something sports related–"

Tony's face lit up. "Gotcha covered, kid." He sprinted into the other room and returned shortly with a large trophy in hand. He presented it to Kazia proudly. "My old football trophy. Definitely considered sports-related."

She eyed the trophy as she took it. "Might work." she tapped the base thoughtfully. "Can I call it an antique?"

"Uhh, yeah, if you swear to keep quiet about me letting you watch _The Mummy Returns _instead of studying!" Tony sighed, exhausted.

"Deal!"

* * *

Mondays. They had to be one of the most evil inventions of the universe. Timothy McGee watched as Tony fumbled with a stack of papers; he was obviously tired out from looking after Kazia, and overworked in Ziva's absence, which was also taking a toll of him. Anyone could see that. Once in a while, Tony would glance over at her desk, whether because he had forgotten she was gone, or to remind himself that she would be back at work soon. Either way, her seat was still empty.

Ziva had been lucky though, McGee found that out from the doctors. The bullet that had gone through her, and had missed striking any of her organs. She was also smart enough that she had kept enough pressure on the wound to staunch the bleeding and prevent any major blood-loss.

Tim's phone rang, and he snatched it from the desk. "McGee." he answered.

"Is Gibbs around? I tried his desk phone, but it just went to voice-mail. Is he on coffee break? No– his cell went to voice-mail too. I tried to teach him how to set it on vibrate, but you know how Gibbs is with tech–"

"No Abbs, he's in talking to the Director." his eyes flickered briefly up the staircase.

"Damn it."

McGee sighed. "Do you want me to tell him for you when he comes back, Abby?"

"No, no! Just tell him to get down here as soon as he can, cause this could be really important." she told him urgently.

"Okay," Tim replied, and hung up. "Gibbs!"

Their boss jogged down the stair, his timing spot on, as usual. "What'd Abby find?" he asked McGee.

Tony looked up, curious to any development in the case.

The youngest agent frowned, "She– wait– How did you–?"

Gibbs rolled his eyes, and silently motioned for Tony and McGee to follow him to the lab.

As soon as the elevator doors had slid open downstairs, Abby dragged Gibbs out and into her main lab by the arm.

"This could be majorly bad." She told them, gesturing to the evidence jars lined up on the stainless steel table.

Gibbs bent down so that the collection of bullets was level with his steely blue gaze.

"One of these things is not like the other!" Abby blurted out, her flustered enthusiasm obviously fueled by the overly caffeinated beverage in her hand, but concern tainted her usually cheerful attitude.

As Tony and McGee gave her puzzled looks, she strode over to the table, slammed the drink down, and picked up one of the jars. "This," she told them, matter-of-factly, plucking the second jar from the left from the cold steel surface, "is the bullet that was collected from _underneath_ the vehicle, and these," she nodded towards the ones still on the table, "are the ones that were _embedded _in various parts of the vehicle."

Tony nodded. "So?" he asked anxiously.

She held the jar up and pointed to the bullet inside. "This one, had traces of blood on it–which upon testing, confirmed that it was the one that hit Ziva, and went straight on through." Abby set the jar down and pulled off her rubber gloves in a frustrated manner.

"The hinky part? It's the only one of that _particular_ caliber out of all the bullets recovered–and the striations are different...the bullet that shot Ziva definitely came from a _different gun_. Look." she jogged over to her computer and brought an image up on the plasma screen for them to see.

"The striations from the guns aren't the same Gibbs. "

He looked concerned, looking over the bullets again. "We're looking for a second shooter, aren't we? A shooter who wasn't just trying to protect his drug merchandise from a couple of agents who had him cornered."

Abby shook her head. "Nope, this bullet came from a sniper rifle. Our second guy was aiming at a target."

Gibbs looked at Tony. "Where is she?"

* * *

_The plot thickens::Dramatic music::_

_Working hard to get this all finished for you!!_

_::Hugs::_

_-Ponytails_


	12. Trust

_**A/N: Brace yourselves. This is going to get interesting...well at least a little bit ;)**_

_**-Ponytails**_

_---_

_Ziva-_

_Sorry I didn't wake you to say ''bye'. I thought you needed the rest. Taking Kazia to school, and then going to work. There's coffee in the kitchen, and some paperwork Gibbs sent to cheer you up. Haha, yeah, right. Anyway, I'll be back around lunch time to see how you're doing._

_-Tony_

Ziva put the note back onto the coffee table where she'd first discovered it, and gave a wide yawn, picking up the stack of papers. After looking over them briefly, she dropped them on the table in a bored manner, and resolved that she would work on them after she got some breakfast.

She did truly try, but, God it was quiet. Too quiet.

Ziva grabbed a random DVD from Tony's large collection and popped it into the player, just to have something playing in the background while she tried to get the paperwork done. It ended up that she couldn't concentrate, so she laid down on the couch and closed her eyes for a bit. Sleep wasn't happening either, not when her side kept aching like this.

_Damn._

Ziva went into the bathroom and downed two prescription painkillers, followed them with a gulp of water, then returned to the living room to try and work on a few more unfinished reports. After a few minutes of staring at the words on the paper, and not registering what she was reading, her eyelids began to fall closed again.

"Huh," she sighed out loud, stifling a yawn, "Tony was right, I am all doped up." she groaned, as she finally gave in and laid down once more.

"Just for a few minutes." she muttered to herself.

_Buzz._

_Buzz._

Ziva blinked and groggily checked her watch; she had drifted off for almost twenty minutes. _It's these damned pills_. she thought, still feeling heavy and tired. But what had woken her?

_Buzz._

"What the–?"

She realized what the sound was, and snatched her vibrating cell phone from the wooden coffee table. The number on the screen was Tony's cell.

"What? Did you forget your lunch, dear?" she teased as she answered the call.

He sighed, sounding quite relieved. "Well at least we know you're alright." he chuckled nervously.

"Relatively, why?"

"Okay," Tony told her in a more serious tone, "listen, Ziva, when you got shot, the bullets weren't all from the same guy–"

"What–?"

"Yeah, there was a second shooter, one that only fired one shot–the one that hit you."

She was silent.

"He was a sniper, Ziva. The other guy, the drug dealer we were there to arrest? He was probably just some idiot decoy."

"Dammit." she hissed.

"Yeah, 'dammit'." Tony agreed. "You're being targeted Ziva, that's why Gibbs and I are on our way to you. Do you have any idea who would have it in for you?"

Ziva got up and paced the living room. "Yes. Criminals, terrorists...maybe friends of my brother–"

"Okay, I get the picture, so there could be a lot of possibilities. Are you in the living room?"

"Yes."

"Good, grab your sig, knife, whatever, stay on your guard, and stay _put_ until we get there." he advised.

"What about Kazia? What if they try to–?"

"We're about five minutes from you now, so once we've got you, we'll pick her up on the way back to headquarters."

Ziva sighed, still anxious. "Alright."

There was a brief silence. "Be careful, okay?" Tony told her quietly, after a moment.

She could hear the honesty in his voice, and it was comforting. "Shalom, Tony." she replied, realizing how much truly did care.

"Shalom, Ziva."

---

The children laughed and played without care, relieved to be let out of their stuffy classroom, and out into the cool autumn air. Several students were reprimanded by their teachers for being too rowdy, but none took notice of the quiet girl at the edge of the schoolyard, leaning against the corner of the building.

Kazia let out a long breath, watching all of the commotion. Yes, she could have joined them in their play, but to her, somehow, they seemed worlds away from her.

A gentle hand rested on the girl's shoulder from around the corner.

Startled, but guided by her quick reflexes, Kazia grabbed the thumb and twisted it backwards.

The stranger gave a moan of pain, and she released him, turning hastily to run away.

"A trick you learned from your mother, no doubt." he chuckled wryly, flexing his hand with a slight wince.

Kazia paused, curious, and stopped by something in his voice, as he went on.

"You look very much like her, you know. Except for your eyes." he added, with a grin, his own bright eyes sparkling from under dark eyebrows, and a mop of brown hair. He had a kind manner, but Kazia wasn't sure what to make of this man.

"You know Ziva?" she asked warily, deciding to find out what he wanted before calling for any sort of help.

He chuckled, shoving his hands into the pockets of his tan canvas jacket. "I supposed you could call us...old friends." He assumed a more serious attitude now. "I heard about Ziva's accident. Terrible thing, really."

"She's getting better." Kazia informed him, trying to boost her own confidence in the fact that Ziva would recover fully, and everything could go back to normal.

"Oh, from what I've heard, she's not doing so well."

The little girl began to feel anxious. "Tony and I are gonna take care of her. She'll be okay." she assured him.

The brown-haired man, still standing around the corner, and just out of sight of teachers and curious children, bent to her level with a concerned expression. "Honey, I'm very sorry to tell you this, but she's not doing so well, something's wrong and–"

"Where is she? Where's Tony? He'll know what to do–"

"He's with her now, Kazia."

She sniffled a little, and asked in a voice just barely clinging to composure. "Where," she gulped, "are they?"

He brushed a tear from the child's face as it rolled down her cheek. "Not to worry darling, they sent me to come get you."

Kazia glanced back at her teachers, who were deep in conversation with another child.

"No need to bother them." He advised her. "Don't you want to see your Mum?"

Kazia turned back to him, a determined glint in her eye now. "Yes. Take me to her."

He gave her a reassuring smile. "Alright then, come along." he held out a hand to lead her, and she gingerly took hold of it.

"I'm Demetri, by the way."

She gave him a funny look as they walked away from the hubbub of the playground. "That was my father's name."

Demetri chuckled, swinging their hands between them. "Indeed. Indeed it was."

---

_Oh snap! What's going to happen!? Yet another cliff-hanger ending to a chapter by yours truly..._

_But I do really know where this is going, and I've got the ending all planned out, so trust me on this one, it _might_ just decide to turn out decent for me (though probably rather fluffy)._

_xoxoxo -Ponytails_


	13. Trapped

_A/N: Okay, so I'm going to write this scene (for comprehensive purposes) two different ways, from two different perspectives which will hopefully tell the story better. Here's the first._

_xxx_

_-Ponytails_

---

Kazia's eyes flicked over familiar surroundings that passed the window, at what might've been just a little over the speed limit, with confusion. "Why are we going to Tony's?" she piped up. "I thought you said Ziva needed to be at the hospital, I _thought_ you said we were going to see her!" panic rose in the child's voice, but Demetri met it with a calm smile.

"Not to worry angel, just stopping for a chat, then we'll be on our way." He neatly parallel parked the car in a space across the street from the apartment building. "Stay here." he advised firmly, opening his door and stepping out onto the pavement.

"But–!"

Not heeding her protests, he closed the door.

Kazia crawled from the passenger's seat, over into the driver's, to get a better view of what he was up to. She could see people in front of the building, and Demetri was not far from them, but still at a distance. His tall figure was blocking her view of who he was speaking to– but wait! It was Ziva! Ziva was yelling at him. She appeared to be just fine– Kazia realized with a wave of relief– though she also looked somewhat angry. Kazia grinned. _Guess Mr. Demetri was misinformed._ The girl yanked the door handle.

Nothing happened. She tried a second time, shoving all of her weight (which wasn't a substantial amount) against the stubborn door, which still, to her dismay, didn't budge.

"Goddamned child lock..." she hissed, nursing her newly bruised right elbow, and giving the offending door a glare.

Kazia pressed her ear to the window, desperate to hear what was going on. Suddenly, the muffled shouting stopped. She pulled back, and as she watched them, something startled her.

Ziva looked scared; Ziva was never scared. Well, not that she outwardly showed. True, some people were scared _of_ her, but Ziva's fear was something new to Kazia, scarier even, than being trapped in a vehicle with no distinguishable means of escape.

Ziva's eyes flickered back and forth between Kazia and Demetri. She was speaking quietly now, and Kazia couldn't hear at all.

The girl scrambled back over into the passenger's side and tried her own door, but that one was locked as well. She slumped down in her seat, ready to admit defeat, when her foot struck something hard.

_What the...?_ Kazia reached into her backpack, and pulled out the trophy Tony had given her earlier. How long ago it seemed...

She glanced from the trophy, to the window, and then back again, feeling the marble base in her hand, and wondering how heavy it was.

"Sorry Demetri," she muttered in apology for what she was about to do. Kazia lifted the trophy, and swung it towards the passenger side window. Upon the first blow a small nick appeared in the glass of the window, the second blow, a crack, and finally, the glass shattered.

The girl tossed the trophy aside and climbed through the gaping hole where the glass had been, the stray shards littering her hair and scratching her face. She hit the ground and scrambled to her feet, prepared to run to her mother.

"Kazia!" a voice hissed.

She stopped, startled. "Agent McGee?"

The young round-faced agent was crouched beside a vehicle a few cars up from her. He beckoned silently.

"Why?" she asked, puzzled by his clandestine manner.

His attitude became more urgent. "Get away from the car!" he told her in a loud whisper.

Within the next five seconds, there was the sound of a shot, the girl ducked, then blinding blast knocked her from her feet.

---


	14. 15 Minutes

_A/N: I really have nothing to say in this author's note other than this is the last chapter, excluding the short little epilogue I've thought of, and you probably don't want to read this author's note either, in fact you've probably zoomed down to the good stuff already! Heh...well, I hope it's semi-good, but my judgement is not perfect at the moment, considering it's currently 2:45 AM, I got up early yesterday, and the last thing I ate was cold pizza. Anyhoo, get reading! ;)_

**-15 Minutes Earlier-**

"McGee's ready to come in as backup if anything goes wrong?"

"Yup."

"And you're sure this has nothing to do with her brother..."

"Doesn't seem Hamas's style."

"But–"

"Damn it, DiNozzo, if you don't stop nagging me–"

"I can't let anything happen to her Boss, her kid will go crazy worrying." Tony said urgently as Gibbs slammed on the brake and their car screeched to a halt.

"Kinda like _you_ are now?"

Tony gave his boss a look, but didn't reply before jumping out of the vehicle and sprinting towards the apartment building.

Gibbs was right behind him, both men had their weapons drawn. Upon reaching his apartment, he knocked and shouted through the door, gun at the ready for any sign of (as Abby would say) something 'hinky', "Ziva, you okay?"

The lock clicked, and the door was pulled open.

Ziva appeared, ready to go, and made a face at him, though she was obviously reassured by his presence. "I'll be fine once you get your gun out of my face." she retorted.

He gave a relieved chuckle, though still alert for a possible shooter. "Good to see you too." He handed her a Kevlar vest identical to the ones the two male agents wore, and Gibbs lead her down the hall and into the stairwell.

Tony checked the opposite end of the hall, and stood with Ziva until Gibbs told them it was clear out front.

"There was no sign of anyone trying to get into the apartment?" Gibbs asked Ziva as the three agents made their way back to the car.

She shook her head. "No, not that I saw or heard."

Gibbs stopped dead in his tracks. "Tony, take Ziva, get back inside."

"Boss–?"

"There's a car pulling in across the street. Dark green SUV, tinted windows. I'm not taking any chances, so get the hell inside."

Tony grabbed Ziva's hand and pulled her towards the door, but she stopped dead when she heard a familiar voice.

"Lower your weapon, please, Agent Gibbs."

She turned, her breath catching in her throat. "You?"

Demetri Barron smiled, obviously relishing the moment. "You missed me, darling?" He sauntered to the edge of the sidewalk, but seemed to think it wise to keep his distance, perhaps because the guns of Agents' DiNozzo and Gibbs immediately trained on him.

Ziva shook her head. "They said you were dead...they said you–"

"They've said a lot of things."

"Who is this guy, Ziva?" Gibbs asked warily, his gun still pointed at the man across the street.

Still looking startled, she gulped. "He's–"

"Allow me to introduce myself," the stranger put in, his smile reaching to his strikingly green eyes. "I'm Demetri Barron."

"He's Kazia's father." Ziva said quietly. "He was supposedly dead–until now." she continued, a cold note in her voice.

"Yes, they all thought I was a victim...some said I was a martyr."

"And what are you really?" Ziva demanded, seeming to regain a bit of her confidence.

Demetri shrugged, his expression smug. "I am...a survivor, thought by some, a murderer. I could have been a lot of things," he continued, "A father, a husband..."

Ziva met his playful gaze with only coldness in her stare.

"What does he want?" inquired Gibbs gruffly, as a general question to all present.

"I repeat, Agent Gibbs, lower your weapon. And the question _really_ should be, what does Ziva want?"

All eyes turned on her.

"What?"

Demetri flicked his chin-length brown hair out of his eyes, turned, and waved.

Kazia David's round face peered from the window of the SUV, her hands cupped around her eyes, and her eyebrows knitted in confusion.

Ziva dove forward. "Don't you dare– Don't even–!"

Tony held her back firmly. "Wait." he whispered.

She struggled against him, while Gibbs shouted, "Let the girl go!"

Demetri was not frightened visibly while Gibbs still trained the gun on him. He grinned and put his hand into his jacket pocket.

"Keep your hands where I can see them!"

He chuckled and brought his hand back out, but in it, he held a small black remote.

"What the hell does that go to? What the hell are you–?" Ziva gasped, again trying to get at him.

"Put the remote down, dirtbag." Gibbs said dangerously.

Demetri shook his head. "This can end two ways."

"It can end with you giving me my daughter back!"

Demetri clucked his tongue. "Now, now, Ziva, _our_ daughter."

Ziva shook her head disbelievingly, "You stopped being a parent when you abandoned your child, and let us believe you were dead!" she spat at him.

His expression turned ugly. "Well, that wasn't all my fault, now was it? You were the one who ran, you...you should have stayed with me, where the two of you could be safe."

A note of desperation came into Ziva's voice now. "You're not necessarily helping with the 'safe' part now, Demetri." she lamented.

"And shooting your ex is kiiind of frowned upon in the world of relationships." Tony put in sarcastically.

The dark haired man shook his head. "Don't you understand, Ziva?"

"What I understand," she replied slowly, "is that you've always been a selfish bastard, no matter what the circumstance." Silently, she put her hand behind her back; she knew she couldn't retrieve her own weapon without risk of Demetri using his little black remote. Ziva felt the cold metal of Tony's Sig as her lowered it into her outstretched palm, his attention still seeming to be fixed on the situation at hand.

"Let Kazia go." Ziva asked, "she shouldn't be apart of this. Let her go, and we'll talk about it...like grown-ups."

A smile curled around the corners of Demetri's mouth once again. "We're beyond talking here. I want you to know loss, as I have known it–" he lifted the remote.

Three things happened in an instant; a crash of breaking glass was heard, Ziva fired two rounds into Demetri's skull, and Demetri carried out a last conscious act. He pushed the button

A blinding flash of light and sound rocketed through the neighborhood, setting off car alarms and sending dogs into loud bouts of howling.

There was smoke all around, and as Ziva sat up, there was a sickening realization in the pit of her stomach. Kazia had been in that car. There were no words, no thoughts, just fear. Ziva buried her face in her hands and told herself over and over again that she would wake up soon and it would all go away. Nightmares weren't scary once you were awake, she'd told Kazia that a million times.

But the tears came anyway, wracking her body with sobs as she knelt on the ground. She'd known loss, yes, a brother, a sister, friends...never like this. It didn't make a difference when Tony, who had fallen near her, hugged her shaking form to him, and told her it would be alright. It wouldn't be alright, not with what had just happened.

"She's okay!" called a voice, the sound of it muffled in her ringing ears.

Ziva lifted her head.

"Gibbs!" the same voice called out, and a figure came stumbling through the smoke, and Gibbs ran to take the girl from McGee, who was bleeding from a large gash in his arm.

Ziva jumped to her feet, crying out at the sharp pain in her side that told her her stitches had ripped through a little, and ran to them, Tony right behind her.

Kazia wriggled out of the silver-haired agent's arms and limped as fast as she could to her mother, tears streaming down her soot-streaked face.

"Ima," Kazia panted, hugging Ziva tightly, "Ima, ani ohevet otach."

Ziva held onto her daughter as if she would never let go. "Gum ani ohevet otach." she finally managed, pulling back and wiping the tears from both of their faces with a tired smile.

Tony crouched down next to them and put a hand on Ziva's back. "You guys both okay?"

Kazia in turn flung herself at Tony and hugged him tightly, pulling him into their small circle.

Tony grinned, and wrapped his arms around them both, feeling safe in the embrace of his two favorite women. Happier than he'd been in a long while, he kissed Kazia on the top of her head, and Ziva on the mouth.

"Eww!"

---

"_Mummy, I love you." and "I love you too." translated into Hebrew by the lovely Liat1989! Thank you so much darling!_

_xoxoxox_

_-Ponytails_


	15. Good Night

**_-Epilogue-_**

It was late, Tony yawned and checked his watch; well, maybe not _that_ late, but it sure felt like it. He yawned and stretched, and after finishing up some of the paperwork Ziva had abandoned on the coffee table, Tony gratefully climbed into bed, tired and stiff after a hectic day. He felt content and safe though, despite what had gone down outside his own apartment building only hours ago.

He had begun to drift off to sleep when his bedroom door opened slightly, a ray of dim light shone across the bed, and then the door snapped shut again. There was silence for a moment, then shuffling footsteps came over to the side of the bed.

Tony sat up. "What's the matter?" he whispered.

Kazia wrapped her arms around herself, shivering and sniffling pathetically. "Bad dream."

Tony hugged the little girl. "Don't worry Kaz, it's over now."

Ziva lifted her head from the pillow next to Tony's, rolled over and patted the space between them on the bed. "There's room." she muttered.

Kazia gave another small sniff, but obviously satisfied with that option, scampered up between the two adults and settled herself in.

When she'd finished wiggling around and making comments every now and then, she finally became quiet, and whispered as her eyelids closed, "Good night."

_**The End.**_

---

_So there it is, and I hope you all enjoyed it! Thank you so much for the great reviews and advice! Now, there is a chance of a sequel, so don't think you've heard the last from Kazia. She's too stubborn to settle for just one story anyway, don't you think?_

_Hugs & Kisses!!_

_-Ponytails_


End file.
